Myth, Primitivism and Modernism

8/11/2019 Myth, Primitivism and Modernism

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MYTH, PRIMITIVISMAND MODERNISM


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What are the roots? What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, You cannot say, or guess, for you know only

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats

he ri!er"s tent is broken# the last fingers of leaf $lutch an% sink into the wet bank& he win% $rosses the brown lan%, unhear%& he nymphs are %eparte%&

' iresias, though blin%, throbbing between two li!es, Ol% man with wrinkle% female breasts, can see At the !iolet hour, the e!ening hour that stri!es (omewar%, an% brings the sailor home from sea, he typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, light (er sto!e, an% lays out foo% in tins&


3/42

)I can connect nothing with nothing * ' can connect +othing with nothing& he broken fingernails of %irty han%s& y people humble people who e-pect +othing&"

la la o $arthage then ' came .urning burning burning burning O /or% hou pluckest me out O /or% hou pluckest burning


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)Shall I at least set ! lan"s in or"er?#

' sat upon the shore

0ishing, with the ari% plain behin% me Shall ' at least set my lan%s in or%er?


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$TWO WAYS O% &EIN' IN THEWOR(D#

)The sacre" s)ace * implies1 ac2uiring a )fi-e% point* orientation in the homogenous chaos )creation of the Worl%* an% real li!ing

$The )ro*ane s)ace# implies lack of orientation an% no )fi-e% point*1Actually, there is no )Worl%* any more, but only some fragments of auni!erse shattere% to pieces, an amorphous mass ma%e up of aninfinite number of more or less )neutral* )places* within which theperson mo!es goa%e% by the responsibilities of an e-istenceintegrate% in an in%ustrial society&

ircea 3lia%e, Sacrul si profanul, 4 r% 3%ition, (umanitas, .ucuresti,5667, p& 58, my translation


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The sterilit! o* the o"ernin"i+i" al

Accor%ing to 3lia%e, the archaic man use% to be essentially creati!ebecause any creation repeats the cosmogonic act par excellence 1 the$reation of the Worl% 9 The Myth of the Eternal Return , p& 5:;

he sacred is the real par e-cellence& 9 Sacrul si profanul , p& 7:;

.y contrast, nothing in the sphere of the profane partakes of .eing,because the profane was not ontologically foun%e% on myth, an% it %oes notha!e an e-emplary mo%el& 9 Sacrul si profanul , p& 7:;

he mo%ern in%i!i%ual fails to be acti!e in history, for this history eithergenerates itself or it ten%s to be generate% by a number of people whosecircle grows smaller an% smaller, making each in%i!i%ual incessantly li!e interror of history& 9 The Myth of the Eternal Return , p& 8


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E- M- %orster#s )air. $the Seen#an" $the /nseen#

'n Howards End $the seen# is a form of har% $non0realit!# clustere%aroun% the cit! an" the otor car 1 argaret felt their whole =ourney from /on%on ha% been unreal& hey

ha% no part with the earth an% its emotions& hey were %ust, an% astink, an% cosmopolitan chatter, an% the girls whose cat ha% beenkille% >by the car ha% li!e% more %eeply than they&*

$h& 5


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How ch o* the sacre" is there le*t *orthe o"erns?

Willy nilly, the profane in%i!i%ual still preser!es traces of the religiousin%i!i%ual*s beha!iour, though they are emptie% of any religioussignificance& Whate!er he may %o, he inherits something an% cannotabolish his past, being its pro%uct& he man without religion is ma%eof a series of %enials an% refusals, but he continues to be obsesse%by the realities he %iscar%e%& 'n or%er to ha!e a worl% of his own, he%esacralise% the worl% of his ancestors, being thus force% to a%opt abeha!iour which runs contrary to the pre!ious one, but whoseimminent outburst, un%er one form or another, he feels %eep withinhimself&

9Sacrul si profanul, p& 8


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THE MODERNS AND THE MYTH O% THEETERNA( RET/RN

he mo%erns ha% a ten%ency to reintegrate historical timein a cosmic, cyclical an% infinite time&

3lia%e argues that the work of & S& 3liot an% of BamesBoyce is replete with the nostalgia of the myth of theeternal return an% e!entually the nostalgia of abolishingtime & 9Myth of the Eternal Return , p& 8:C;


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The Waste Land An% upsi%e %own in air were towers olling reminiscent bells, that kept the hours An% !oices singing out of empty cisterns an%

e-hauste% wells&

'n this %ecaye% hole among the mountains 'n the faint moonlight, the grass is singing O!er the tumble% gra!es, about the chapel

here is the empty chapel, only the win%"s home& 't has no win%ows, an% the %oor swings, Dry bones can harm no one&


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M!th re+isite" & S& 3liot took the title, the plan an% much of the symbolism of The Waste and from

Bessie /& Weston"s book on the Erail legen% !rom Ritual to Romance & (e was alsoin%ebte% to Bames Eeorge 0ra@er*s The "olden #ough , a book which influence% hisgeneration profoun%ly&

Bames Boyce re!isite% classic Ereek mythology in $ %ortrait an% &lysses an% $elticmythology in !innegan's Wa(e

D& (& /awrence*s The Rainbow an% Women in o)e are replete with mythical allusionsan% references# 3nglan%, y 3nglan% is coloure% by nostalgia for a heathen AngloSa-on cultural past&

F& Woolf*s theory of the an%rogynous min% was un%erpinne% by the myth of an%rogyny asspiritual perfection&

W&.& Yeats %rew on ancient 'rish myths an% legen%s in or%er to create a mo%ern 'rishliterature&

$lassic Ereek culture, a mythical past of 3nglan% an% a (in%u !ersion of themyth of the eternal return counterpoint the complacent .ritish mi%%le classes in

3& & 0orster*s $ %assage to *ndia &


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The !thologies o* North an" So th

3& & 0orster*s he Story of a Ganic an% his )'talian no!els*Where $ngels !ear to Tread an% $ Room with a +iew

Fision became more optical, less int iti+e2loo3 at Englan"4Hogarth, Re!nol"s, 'ains5oro gh, the! are all alrea"!5o rgeois & he coat is really more important than the man& 't is

ama@ing how important clothes su%%enly become, how theyco!er the sub=ectH D& (& /awrence, 'ntro%uction to hese Gaintings

II want to go so th , where there is no autumn, where the col%

%oesn"t crouch o!er one like a snow leopar% waiting to pounce&The heart o* the North is "ea", an" the *ingers o* col" arecor)se *ingers &I D&(& /awrence, /etter to Bohn i%%leton urry 9October 8J5:;


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Englishness 6 D- H- (awrence an" E- M- %orster ' cannot free myself from the con!iction that something irreplaceable

has been %estroye%, an% that a little piece of 3nglan% has %ie% assurely as if a bomb ha% hit it& ' won%er what compensation there is inthe worl% of the spirit, for the %estruction of the life here, a life oftra%ition&

3& & 0orster, Two heers for -emocracy

his is history& One 3nglan% blots out another& he minersha% ma%e the halls wealthy& +ow they were blotting themout, as they ha% alrea%y blotte% out the cottages& hein%ustrial 3nglan% blots out the agricultural 3nglan%& Onemeaning blots out another& An% the continuity is not organic,but mechanical&

D& (& /awrence, ady hatterley's o)er


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Englishness 6 D- H- (awrence#s $S)irit o* Place#+s- $the Worl" o* & siness7

he sunlight bla@e% %own upon the earth, there was a +i+i"ness o* *la ! +egetation , of*ierce secl sion a i" the sa+age )eace o* the co ons &Strange how the sa+ageEnglan" lingers in )atches 1 as here, ami% these shaggy gorse commons, an% marshy,snake infeste% places near the foot of the south %owns& The s)irit o* )lace lingering on)ri e+al, as when the Sa1ons ca e, so long ago & 93nglan%, y 3nglan%;

3gbert*s blue eyes ha% a to ch o* the Vi3ing in the & Winifre%, too, see e" to co eo t o* the ol" Englan" & 93nglan%, y 3nglan%;

(e lo!e% his wife, his cottage an% gar%en& (e woul% make his life there, as a sort ofepicurean hermit& He lo+e" the )ast, the ol" sic an" "ances an" c sto s o* ol"Englan" &He wo l" tr! an" li+e in the s)irit o* these, not in the s)irit o* the worl" o*5 siness & 93nglan%, y 3nglan%;

8His heart went 5ac3 to the sa+age ol" s)irit o* the )lace. the "esire *or ol" go"s,ol", lost )assions , the passion of the col% bloo%e%,%arting snakes that hisse% an% shotaway from him, the mystery of bloo% sacrifices, all the lost, intense sensations of theprime!al people of the place, whose passions seethe% in the air still, *ro those long"a!s 5e*ore the Ro ans ca e & he seethe of a lost, %ark passion in theair& hepresence of unseen snakes& 93nglan%, y 3nglan%;


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A white "ragon is a national s! 5olo* Englan" an" se" 5! an! as thetr e *lag o* the Anglo Sa1onEnglish- In this sense the "ragon isa g ar"ian o* English lan", )eo)lean" heritage-

Farious accounts of the times recor%many battles between armies carryingthe $eltic .ritish Ke% Dragon .anner9now the Welsh Dragon; an% the WhiteDragon 0lag of the Sa-ons, Angles

an% Butes 9the 3nglish Dragon;& heWhite Dragon was, an% still is, theemblem of Wesse-, the territory of theWest Sa-ons an% the 3nglish Ling,

Alfre% the Ereat&


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Englishness 6 E- M- %orster#s Englan" 5etweenProse an" Passion

8Onl! connect4 That was the whole o*her ser on- Onl! connect the )rosean" the )assion, an" 5oth will 5ee1alte", an" h an lo+e will 5e seenat its height- (i+e in *rag ents nolonger- Onl! connect, an" the 5eastan" the on3, ro55e" o* the isolationthat is li*e to either, will "ie-7

Howards End , $h& 55

Here is the heart o* o r islan" 1 the$hilterns, the +orth Downs, the SouthDowns ra%iate hence& he fibres of3nglan% unite in Wiltshire, an% %i% wecon%escen% to worship her, here weshoul% erect our national shrine&

The ongest .ourney , $h& 88


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The North Downs he North Downs are

a ri%ge of chalk hills insouth east 3nglan%that stretch from0arnham in Surrey tothe White $liffs ofDo!er in Lent&


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The So th Downs he So th Downs is a

range of chalk hills thate-ten%s for about 5C6s2uare miles 9C76 km5;across the south easterncoastal counties of3nglan% from the 'tchen

Falley of (ampshire inthe west to .eachy (ea%,near 3astbourne, 3astSusse-, in the east& 't isboun%e% on its northernsi%e by a steep

escarpment, from whosecrest there are e-tensi!e!iews northwar%s acrossthe Weal%&


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$The 9entre o* the Worl"# ircea 3lia%e argues that the consecration of

the centre of the worl% was the result of a 5reach into the ho ogeneit! o* the le+els achie!e% through a hiero)han! 1

hus we fin% oursel!es confronte% with a chainof religious conceptions an% cosmologicalimages which, linke% together, make up asystem that may be calle% the tra%itionalsocieties* ) Worl" s!ste *1

a; a sacre% place is a breach into thehomogeneity of space#

b; this breach is represente% by an )opening*which allows passage from one cosmic regionto another 9from the Sky to the 3arth an% theother way roun%1 from the 3arth to theun%erworl%;

c; the communication with the Sky is achie!e%through a certain number of images which allgra!itate aroun% the $xis mundi 1 pole 9seeuni)ersalis columna ;, stairway 9see Bacob*sla%%er;, mountain, tree, liana, etc&

%; the )Worl%* 9M)our worl%*; is e!erywherearoun% the cosmic a-is, therefore the a-is is )inthe mi%%le*, in the omphalos , it is the $entre ofthe Worl%*

Sacrul si profanul, pp/ 01203, my translation


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&o"!, Ho se, 9os os 6 E- M-%orster#s Howards End

he religious in%i!i%ual cannotli!e but in an *open* worl% becausehe wishes to be at a )$entre*,where he is gi!en the chance tocommunicate with the go%s& (is

%welling place is a micro cosmos, =ust as his bo%y is& he housebo%y $osmos assimilationappears fairly early in time&

Sacrul si profanul, pp& 85J846, my translation

o them (owar%s 3n% was ahouse1 they coul% not know that toher it ha% been a spirit, for whichshe sought a spiritual heir&

Howards End , $h& 88

hen there*s a !ery big wych elm N to the left as you

look up N leaning a little o!er thehouse, an% stan%ing on the

boun%ary between the gar%en an%the mea%ow& H H rs Wilco-trailing in beautiful %resses %ownlong corri%orsH

Howards End , $h& 8


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(on"on 6 $a no a"ic ci+ili:ation# 't goes without saying

that all these e-periencesare inaccessible to the areligious in%i!i%ual, notonly because %eath hasbeen %e sacralise% forhim but also because heno longer li!es in a$osmos as such an% thusno longer reali@es thatha!ing a )bo%y* an%%welling a house is thee2ui!alent of assumingan e-istential state in the$osmos&

Sacrul si profanul, p&848, mytranslation

Day an% night the ri!er flowsinto 3nglan%, %ay after %aythe sun retreats into theWelsh mountains, an% thetower chimes1 )See the$on2uering (ero&* .ut the

Wilco-es ha!e no part in theplace, nor in any place& 't isnot their names that recur inthe parish register& 't is nottheir ghosts that sigh amongthe al%ers at e!ening& heyha!e swept into the !alleyan% swept out of it, lea!ing alittle %ust an% a little moneybehin%&

Howards End , $h& 5J


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Archet!)es in The Rainbow I As they lay close together, complete an% beyon% the touch of time or

change, it was as if they were at the !ery centre of all the slowwheeling of space an% the rapi% agitation of life, %eep, %eep insi%ethem all, at the centre where there is utter ra%iance, an% eternalbeing, an% the silence absorbe% in praise1 the stea%y core of allmo!ements, the unawakene% sleep of all wakefulness& hey foun%themsel!es there, an% they lay still, in each other*s arms# for theirmoment they were at the heart of eternity, whilst time roare% far off,fore!er far off, towar%s the rim&

hen gra%ually they were passe% away from the supreme centre,%own the circles of praise an% =oy an% gla%ness, further an% furtherout, towar%s the noise an% the friction& .ut their hearts ha% burne%an% were tempere% by the inner reality, they were unalterably gla%&

Era%ually they began to wake up, the noises outsi%e became morereal& hey un%erstoo% an% answere% the call outsi%e& hey counte%the strokes of the bell& An% when they counte% mi%%ay, theyun%erstoo% that it was mi%%ay, in the worl%, an% for themsel!es also&


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Archet!)es in The Rainbow II 8 An% ' will establish my co!enant with you#

neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by

the waters of a floo%# neither shall there anymore be a floo% to %estroy the earth& >;< An% Eo% sai%, his is the token of the

co!enant which ' make between me an% youan% e!ery li!ing creature that is with you, forperpetual generations1

>;= ' %o set my bow in the clou%, an% it shallbe for a token of a co!enant between me an%the earth&

>;> An% it shall come to pass, when ' bring aclou% o!er the earth, that the bow shall beseen in the clou%1

>; An% ' will remember my co!enant, whichis between me an% you an% e!ery li!ingcreature of all flesh# an% the waters shall nomore become a floo% to %estroy all flesh&

>;@ An% the bow shall be in the clou%# an% 'will look upon it, that ' may remember thee!erlasting co!enant between Eo% an% e!eryli!ing creature of all flesh that is upon theearth&

>; An% Eo% sai% unto +oah, his is thetoken of the co!enant, which ' ha!eestablishe% between me an% all flesh that isupon the earth&

#oo( of "enesis , $hapter J, Ling Bames

!ersion;

An% the rainbow stoo% on the

earth& She knew that the sor%i%people who crept har% scale% an%separate on the face of the worl%*scorruption were li!ing still, that therainbow was arche% in their bloo%an% woul% 2ui!er to life in theirspirit, that they woul% cast off theirhorny co!ering of %isintegration,that new, clean, nake% bo%ies woul%issue to a new germination, to anew growth, rising to the light an%the win% an% the clean rain ofhea!en& She saw in the rainbow theearth*s new architecture, the ol%,brittle corruption of houses an%factories swept away, the worl% builtup in a li!ing fabric of truth, fitting tothe o!er arching hea!en&

The Rainbow


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D& (& /awrence*sGtterdmmerung

Well, if mankin% is %estroye%, if our race is %estroye% like So%om,an% there is this beautiful e!ening with the luminous lan% an% trees, 'am satisfie%& hat which informs it all is there, an% can ne!er be lost&

After all, what is mankin% but =ust one e-pression of theincomprehensible& An% if mankin% passes away, it will only mean thatthis particular e-pression is complete% an% %one& hat which ise-presse%, an% that which is to be e-presse%, cannot be %iminishe%&here it is, in the shining e!ening& /et mankin% pass away N time it%i%& he creati!e utterances will not cease, they will only be there&(umanity %oesn*t embo%y the utterance of the incomprehensible anymore& (umanity is a %ea% letter& here will be a new embo%iment, ina new way& /et humanity %isappear as 2uick as possible&

Kupert .irkin*s pri!ate thoughts in Women in o)e

.irkin watche% the country, an% was fille% with a sort ofhopelessness& (e always felt this, on approaching /on%on& (is %islikeof mankin%, of the mass of mankin%, amounte% almost to an illness&

Women in o)e


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H-D-

M!steries Re ain he mysteries remain,

' keep the samecycle of see% timean% of sun an% rain#Demeter in the grass,' multiply,

renew an% bless.acchus in the !ine#' hol% the law,' keep the mysteries true,the first of theseto name the li!ing, %ea%#' am the wine an% brea%&

* (eep the law,* hold the mysteries true,* am the )ine,the branches, you,and you/


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The % t re o* 'o"s

+othing can be pre%icte%& .ut ' %on*t think that certainprimor%ial re!elations coul% %isappear& 3!en in the mosttechnologically %e!elope% society, there is somethingunalterable1 for there is %ay an% night, winter time an%summer time& 3!en in a treeless city there is the sky with

its stars, an% man can see the stars an% the moonanyway& As long as there*s %ay an% night, winter an%summer, ' think man cannot be altere%& We are, againstour will, integrate% in this cosmic rhythm& H he leastreligious person li!es by this rhythm H '*m sure other

e-pressions will follow& What are those? ' coul%n*t say&he big surprise is always the free%om of spirit an% itscreati!ity&

ircea 3lia%e, 4rdeal by abyrinth, p& 864, my translation


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Archet!)es. ' "r n 0 Magna MaterB 'eral"9rich 6 9ain, a Ni5el ng, !o ng Her es

Puickly he pulle% off his =acket, pulle% loose his black tie, an% was unfastening his stu%s,which were hea%e% each with a pearl& She listene%, watching, hoping no one woul% hear thestarche% linen crackle& 't seeme% to snap like pistol shots&

(e ha% come for !in%ication& She let him hol% her in his arms, clasp her close against him& (efoun% in her an infinite relief& 'nto her he poure% all his pent up %arkness an% corrosi!e %eath,an% he was whole again& 't was won%erful, mar!elous, it was a miracle& his was the e!errecurrent miracle of his life, at the knowle%ge of which he was lost in an ecstasy of relief an%won%er& An% she, sub=ect, recei!e% him as a !essel fille% with his bitter potion of %eath& Sheha% no power at this crisis to resist& he terrible frictional !iolence of %eath fille% her, an% sherecei!e% it in an ecstasy of sub=ection, in throes of acute !iolent sensation&

As he %rew nearer to her, he plunge% %eeper into her en!eloping soft warmth, a won%erfulcreati!e heat that penetrate% his !eins an% ga!e him life again& (e felt himself %issol!ing an%sinking to rest in the bath of her li!ing strength& 't seeme% as if her heart in her breast were asecon% uncon2uerable sun, into the glow an% creati!e strength of which he plunge% further an%further& All his !eins, that were mur%ere% an% lacerate%, heale% softly as life came pulsing in,stealing in!isibly in to him as if it were the all powerful effluence of the sun& (is bloo%, whichseeme% to ha!e been %rawn back into %eath, came ebbing on the return, surely, beautifully,powerfully&

(e felt his limbs growing fuller an% fle-ible with life, his bo%y gaine% an unknown strength& (ewas a man again, strong an% roun%e%& An% he was a chil%, so soothe% an% restore% an% full ofgratitu%e&

An% she, she was the great bath of life, he worshippe% her& other an% substance of all life shewas& An% he, chil% an% man, recei!e% of her an% was ma%e whole& (is pure bo%y was almostkille%& .ut the miraculous, soft effluence of her breast suffuse% o!er him, o!er his seare%,%amage% brain, like a healing lymph, like a soft, soothing flow of life itself, perfect as if he werebathe% in the womb again&

Women in o)e


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Virginia Wool*#s An"rog!n! The an"rog!no s in" is nite" , butQ heterogeneo s an% creati+el! sel*0)er)et ating & Woolf highlights this point by asking1 What "oes one ean 5! $the nit! o*

the in"#? H for clearly the min% has so great a power of concentrating atany point at any moment that it seems to ha!e no single state of being& 't canseparate itself from the people in the streetH Or it can think with other peoplespontaneously& 9 $ Room of 4ne's 4wn ;

The an"rog!no s rh!th in Woolf*s writing is most e!i%ent in sections ofMrs -alloway , To The ighthouse an% The Wa)es in which Woolf uses freein%irect %iscourse& +ancy opping .a@in actually %raws a %iagram of the)attern o* Mrs Dalloway which *or s the i age o* wa+es alternating5etween "i**erent in"s an" "i**erent locations-

Elaine Showalter calls an"rog!n! a 8 !th that hel)e" her e+a"econ*rontation with her own )ain* l *e aleness an" ena5le" her to cloa3an" re)ress her anger an" a 5ition-7


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o!ce#s M!tho)oeic %iction 0lysses

/l!sses is *or e not onl! the )rotot!)e o* the o"ernan, 5 t also o* the an loo3ing *orwar" into the * t re,5eca se he is the t!)e o* the restless tra+eller & (is

=ourney is a o rne! towar"s the centre , towar%s 'thaca, inother wor"s towar"s hi sel* & (e is a goo% sailor, but fate

N or rather the series of initiations which he must turn into!ictories N always forces him to %elay his return& ' think themyth of Rlysses is !ery important for us& There will alwa!s5e a /l!sses in an! o* s # like him we look for our sel!es,hoping to fin% that, an% then, of course, returning to ourcountry, our home, we fin% oursel!es again&

ircea 3lia%e, 4rdeal by abyrinth, p& T


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The (a5!rinth 'n general, one li!es life in fragments& One %ay, in

$hicago, passing by the 'nstitute of OrientalStu%ies, ' felt the continuity of this time whichbegins with my a%olescence an% continues in'n%ia, /on%on, an% the rest& 't is an encouraging

e-perience1 you feel you ha!en*t waste% your time,you ha!en*t waste% your life& 3!erything connects,e!en the perio%s ' use% to consi%er unimportant,like, for instance, the military ser!ice, which sankinto obli!ion, e!erything connects, an% all of asu%%en we see we*!e been le% by a purpose N anorientatio/5

ircea 3lia%e , 4rdeal by abyrinth, p& 8


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&ac3 to the Roots Disco!ering the profoun% unity that e-ists between the aboriginal

'n%ian culture, the culture in the .alkans an% the culture of theagricultural communities in Western 3urope ' felt at home& Stu%yingcertain myths, certain techni2ues, ' saw they applie% in 3urope aswell as they applie% in Asia& ' ne!er ha% the slightest sense of thee-otic& Seeing the folk tra%itions in 'n%ia, ' coul% trace the patterns offolk tra%itions in 3urope& ' think that helpe% me a lot to un%erstan%that .rUncuVi %i% not copy the creations of Komanian folk art& On thecontrary, he went to the !ery source that inspire% the Komanian orEreek peasants an% re%isco!ere% this e-traor%inary !ision of aperson to whom the stone or the rock e-ist, we might say, in ahierophanic >i&e& manifestation of the sacre% way& (e foun%, fromwithin, the uni!erse of !alues create% by the archaic humans& 'n%ee%,'n%ia helpe% me to un%erstan% the importance, the Komanian spiritan% at the same time the uni!ersal spirit of .rUncuVi*s creation& 'f you%o return to the sources, to the roots that go as far as the +eolithic,then you are !ery Komanian, or !ery 0rench, an% uni!ersal at thesame time& ' ha!e always been fascinate% by this 2uestion1 how coul%we reco!er the fun%amental unity if not of the human e-ceptionalspirit >3lia%e uses the wor% genius , at least of a certain un%i!i%e%ci!ili@ation in 3urope*s past? .rUncuVi manage% to reco!er itH& Soyou seeH the cycle of my formation by 'n%ia en%s on the note of this%isco!ery an% this 2uestion&

ircea 3lia%e, 4rdeal by abyrinth, p&


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Grimiti!ism an% mo%ernism A boom in the stu%y of anthropology ma%e the mo%ernists1 C estion their own ci+ili:ation

but also loo3 "own )on $)ri iti+is # as $low# art an" $5ar5aric# c lt re

he first impact an% early history of primiti!ism is %escribe% by Eertru%e Stein in $utobiography of $lice #/ To(las6

$t the time 73819: negro sculpture had been well (nown to curio hunters but not toartists/ Who first recogni;ed its potential )alue for the modern artist * am sure * do not(now/


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Koger 0ry an% Grimiti!ism 0ry praise% primiti!e art for 2ualities .ritish art ha% lost o!er centuries1

)%irectness of !ision* an% )complete free%om*

'n his search for )!itality*, )sincerity* an% )spontaneity*, 0ry turne% to the 0rench'mpressionists, an% 'slamic, .y@antine an% primiti!e art&

'n +o!& 8J86 0ry opene% the first Gost 'mpressionist e-hibition, Eauguin*s ahitianpaintings being the most pro!ocati!e part of the show&

Gicasso an% atisse, the most aggressi!e an% inno!ati!e primiti!i@ers, %ominate%the secon% Gost 'mpressionist e-hibition, in 8J85& his time, apart from the0rench Gost 'mpressionists, 0ry inclu%e% 88 3nglish Gost 'mpressionists an%se!eral Kussian a!ant gar%e artists& Sergei Diaghile!*s company ha% alrea%yperforme% in /on%on in 8J88, featuring %ances of the Golo!tsi, a noma%ic urkicpeople who inhabite% the central 3urasian steppe between the 88 th an% 84 th centuries&


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Virginia Wool*#s res)onse to )ri iti+isan" the R ssian cra:e

Woolf atten%e% se!eral performances of the .allets Kusses an% was welllaware of the fashions inspire% by Oriental motifs in Diagile!*s pro%uctions&She appeare% at a fancy %ress party costume% as $leopatra&

She was closely ac2uainte% with the Kussian ballerina /y%ia /opoko!a, who

marrie% Bohn aynar% Leynes in 8J5


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V- Wool* st nne" 5! the R ssian so l 'n rea%ing cheko! we fin% oursel!es repeating the wor% soul again an% again& 't sprinkles

his pages& Ol% %runkar%s use it freely# & & & you are high up in the ser!ice, beyon% all reach,but ha!en*t real soul, my %ear boy & & & there*s no strength in it& 'n%ee%, it is the soul that isthe chief character in Kussian fiction& Delicate an% subtle in cheko!, sub=ect to an infinitenumber of humours an% %istempers, it is of greater %epth an% !olume in Dostoe!sky# it isliable to !iolent %iseases an% raging fe!ers, but still the pre%ominant concern& Gerhaps thatis why it nee%s so great an effort on the part of an 3nglish rea%er to rea% he .rothersLarama@o! or he Gossesse% a secon% time& he soul is alien to him& 't is e!enantipathetic& 't has little sense of humour an% no sense of come%y& 't is formless& 't has slight

connection with the intellect& 't is confuse%, %iffuse, tumultuous, incapable, it seems, ofsubmitting to the control of logic or the %iscipline of poetry& he no!els of Dostoe!sky areseething whirlpools, gyrating san%storms, waterspouts which hiss an% boil an% suck us in&hey are compose% purely an% wholly of the stuff of the soul& Against our wills we are %rawnin, whirle% roun%, blin%e%, suffocate%, an% at the same time fille% with a gi%%y rapture& Out ofShakespeare there is no more e-citing rea%ing& We open the %oor an% fin% oursel!es in aroom full of Kussian generals, the tutors of Kussian generals, their step %aughters an%cousins, an% crow%s of miscellaneous people who are all talking at the tops of their !oicesabout their most pri!ate affairs&

he Kussian Goint of Fiew in The ommon Reader


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Wool*#s )raise o* R ssian e1)ression

't is the soul that matters, its passion, its tumult, its astonishing me%ley ofbeauty an% !ileness& An% if our !oices su%%enly rise into shrieks of laughter, orif we are shaken by the most !iolent sobbing, what more natural?X it har%lycalls for remark& he pace at which we are li!ing is so tremen%ous that sparksmust rush off our wheels as we fly& oreo!er, when the spee% is thusincrease% an% the elements of the soul are seen, not separately in scenes ofhumour or scenes of passion as our slower 3nglish min%s concei!e them, butstreake%, in!ol!e%, ine-tricably confuse%, a new panorama of the human min%is re!eale%& he ol% %i!isions melt into each other& en are at the same time!illains an% saints# their acts are at once beautiful an% %espicable& We lo!ean% we hate at the same time& here is none of that precise %i!ision betweengoo% an% ba% to which we are use%& Often those for whom we feel most

affection are the greatest criminals, an% the most ab=ect sinners mo!e us tothe strongest a%miration as well as lo!e& Dashe% to the crest of the wa!es, bumpe% an% battere% on the stones at the

bottom, it is %ifficult for an 3nglish rea%er to feel at ease& he process to whichhe is accustome% in his own literature is re!erse%&

he Kussian Goint of Fiew in The ommon Reader


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Grimiti!ism in The Wa)es

he win% rose& he wa!es %rumme% onthe shore like turbane% warriors, liketurbane% men with poisone% assegaiswho, whirling their arms on high, a%!anceupon the fee%ing flocks, the white sheep&


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Boyce an% Grimiti!ism Grimiti!e art ga!e mo%ernist artists the key to a syncretic union between

image an% i%ea, form an% sub=ect& 9see Boyce*s use of fugue in the )Sirens*episo%e; http1 www&youtube&com watch?!Mc4'S

Myth, Primitivism and Modernism

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